When Chrissy Benoit told Clean Plate Charlie that she had sold Havana Hideout to open her newest venture, The Little House in Boynton Beach, a small part of me panicked. What did that mean for the future of the beloved Lake Worth establishment — the same place Guy Fieri had targeted for an episode of Diner’s, Drive-Ins and Dives, where Justin Bieber had thrown a hissy fit and stiffed a waitress, and my personal favorite spot for sipping sangria in South Florida?

Of course, whenever an establishment changes hands, small (and sometimes totally-ridiculously-large) tweaks can be expected after the fact. Your favorite appetizer is removed, replaced with something boring. That side sauce you loved so much is altered just enough to make you meloncolly for a condiment. Even your go-to bartender is no longer there, the result of a staff makeover.

But for those of you who like Havana Hidout just the way it is, don’t worry: You can still “get what Guy got” — and all the best menu items, priced affordably between $4 and $11, created by the original owner. However, it’s worth noting that a few changes have served to improve the Havana experience, according to newly-appointed Havana consultant … Read More »

Cilver

A beautiful type of girl who may be a butthole at times but can be very great to be around. Always fun, and caring a lot of the time, and a great girlfriend.

Me Talk Pretty was a good name for this New York-based rock band about a year ago, a time when Cilver’s lead singer — Romanian-born Uliana Preotu — had finally mastered English after several solid years making music alongside bandmates Leon Lyazidi (guitar/keyboards), James Kluz (drums), Nate Meng (bass), Guerin Blask (drums) and  the most recent addition, Kevin Coffrin (bass).

She was certainly talking pretty then. And singing even prettier.

Like Me Talk Pretty, the band’s new name — Cilver — appears to be yet another allusion to the sultry and seductively sweet songstress. Look it up in Urban Dictionary and you’ll find the above entry: a street-wise word for a beautiful girl who is fun, caring and an all-around great person.

And that — whether intentional or not — describes Preotu perfectly.

Although this interview took place close to a year ago, a time when Preotu was working under the name Me Talk Pretty, her words still ring true. With her mother’s untimely death still weighing heavily on the young musician, … Read More »

It doesn’t matter that Coulter and Kristy Lewis are my friends, or that I went to high school with them. It also doesn’t matter that they are possibly two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. All of these facts are irrelevant, because I’d still give their new line of all-natural, healthy, chemical-free, non-GMO microwave  popcorn ten thumbs up.

I first discovered Quinn — named after the couple’s first child — through Facebook. Christy had posted a link asking friends and family to visit the company’s Kickstarter page, the popular crowd funding platform that helps bring all manner of business ideas to life. I even donated myself — a lover of all foods made healthy and naturally — and patiently watched as Quinn’s funding grew closer and closer to the requisite goal of $10,000.00. Click by click, they made it — heck, exceeded it — ringing in close to $28,000.00 when all was said and done.

Months later, the couple had launched their website, all the while bookmarking the growth of their burgeoning business on Facebook and Twitter. Through trials, troubles and triumphs they forged ahead.

Today, I’m happy to see they’ve made it pretty far. Starting a business … Read More »

The next time you’re in Wilton Manors and hungry for more than just your average meal, try Tee Jay Thai. It can be easy to miss this unassuming eatery, set in the corner of a shopping center. But don’t let the location fool you. The owners, a Thai family with generations-worth of restaurant industry experience, know what it takes to prepare an authentic dish or two.

Where other Thai restaurants serve up an over-sweet pad Thai, noodles slicked with oil and dusted with peanuts, not so at Tee Jay. Here, dishes are artfully prepared, hearty helpings of exotic yet contemporary recipes, a vivid departure from the over-spiced Thai of the masses. By Thai standards, the food is brilliant, evidenced by the house specialty, a remarkably fragrant seafood curry. Redolent of Thai basil, a sharper and more pungent variation of the herb, you’re served a small mountain of steamed Caribbean lobster, scallops, and shrimp in a velvety, chili-spiked curry for a reasonable $12.

However, authentic isn’t always best. Owner Lynn has the resident chef prepare a number of Thai dishes with her own Japanese and American fusion, softening much of the culture’s use of acutely saporous spices while holding true the honest, bold … Read More »

Peter Pan has Neverland; Alice and Wonderland; Dorothy her Oz. And, here in Fort Lauderdale, South Floridians have the Riverside Market and Café, a two-year-old deli-esque establishment from owner and Florida native Julian Siegel. Best likened to another world, no average label will do – although deli could cover the bulk of the menu, while breakfast omelets lean towards brunch café (sans the café). Perhaps craft beer lounge, then – except there’s no bar. Suffice it to say Riverside is the very definition of hidden gem, its out-of-the-fray location making it the kind of place anyone can appreciate.

Situated in a quiet residential neighborhood off Broward Boulevard, it’s a short drive from Las Olas, yet miles from its chaotic crowds. Not entirely easy to find, good directions are a must in the face of a narrow swing bridge, or to keep you on-course despite near dead-end, one-way roads. And, just like that, you aren’t in Fort Lauderdale anymore.

Saunter up and you would be mistaken to expect the usual deli line out the door. On a sunny day, where the heat is at once tolerable and blanketing, patrons will sit outside Riverside’s simple cement building, lounging in one of the brightly hued … Read More »

Beau Bokan’s voice is just one of the many great things about the Arizona’s Phoenix-based blessthefall, a newcomer to what can only be termed as the post-hardcore genre — otherwise known as metalcore — that searing combination of hardcore punk and metal. If critics agree Sepultura is the band that gave birth to metalcore, then blessthefall is the bastard spawn bent on bringing new meaning to the genre’s adoring masses.

Not to be confused with the likes of punk-metal-fusion darlings like Killswitch Engage, Underoath or Trivium – all representative of the genre – blessthefall has developed a sound all its own, evidenced by their well-received 2009 release, Witness. Since then, blessthefall has literally been blessed: by a growing fan base responsible for propelling the helping propel Witness to debut at #6 on the Billboard Independent Chart.

Following what can only be termed as sweet success after playing sold-out shows worldwide with the likes of As I Lay Dying, Atreyu, and August Burns Red, blessthefall returned stateside last year with a mission to produce their third full-length album, Awakening, released by Fearless Records in October 2011.

Named as one of the year’s “Most Anticipated Albums of 2011” at its inception, it’s hard to believe … Read More »